The Promise
by foldintothenight
Summary: John Cena met Sara Molinaro in high school. It didn't take long for them to realize it was love. She followed him in his earlier years, putting her own life on hold while he chased his dreams. She left him one night without a word. Five years later she decided that it's time to reappear in his life. How will he react to the reason she left? Another one for WWE'sFinestDiva2012 :)
1. Chapter 1

**Another one? Oh yeah, here I go again. I've got another story from the awesome mind of the one and only Sara. Disclaimer time. I own nothing here. Sara and Caden belong to WWE'sFinestDiva2012 and the WWE and it's Superstars are unfortunately out of my reach in real life. At the moment, I'm rating it T for language and sexual situations. If it turns out that I need to change it, I'll let ya know!**

**Just a thought, we should make a community for all of the Sara stories. That way it will be easier for us to find them.**

* * *

As she walked across the room, she met his eyes. They were a unmistakable set of eyes that she would never forget. In fact, some may say that she was haunted by them. The first time she saw them was eighteen years earlier, almost to the day. Shivers went down her spine as the look he gave her was almost identical to the one he had given her then. That cool Massachusetts day in October of 1994 may have been a long time ago, but she remembered it as clear as if it were yesterday...

Moving is never easy. Especially when you're in high school. Sara Molinaro needed to make a choice when her parents were offered a job in New York for six months as she was about to start her junior year. She didn't want to leave Massachusetts, but none of her friends were able to take her in on the semi-permanent basis. So Sara opted to do the next best thing. She enrolled at Cushing Academy and was given permission to take weekends off to visit her friends in Newton. This was something that made her, as well as her parents, happy.

When Sara got to Cushing, the term had already started. So that made things slightly worse on her. She had a roommate, but the girl was a complete bitch. The other girl, who simply identified herself as Becky, literally got out her masking tape and made a line down the room. If this were any indication of how things would be at this school, Sara would be in New York by the end of the week. Still, she didn't let the actions of just one student get to her. She simply rolled her eyes at the actions of her roommate. She knew that if things got to a point where living with Becky was not an optimal choice, she would inform whomever she needed in order to rectify the situation.

Sara had received her class schedule, but her campus tour had been brief. She had no idea where any of her classes were, and of course Becky wasn't going to be any help. First period would be starting soon and all of the students were scattered, running to their classrooms in attempt to beat the bell. She attempted to stop a number of peers, asking for directions, but not a single one even acknowledged her. As the halls began to clear a bit, she sighed to herself. She was going to be late and she was completely lost.

"Oh no, that's okay. I can find everything on my own," she spun around, going for another hallway, but was stopped by a solid mass of a body. Great, she ran into one of the football players. This was going to go over so well for her. She blinked, slowly looking up to see a smiling face look down on her.

"I take it you're the new girl?" the boy's smile grew. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and he dressed as if he was just an extra in a rap video. Yet, he was definitely white.

"That obvious?" she groaned. Part of her was immediately attracted to this boy, but she had enough self-control to not throw herself at him.

"It's a small school. Complicated and intimidating if you don't know where you're going, but with the right guide, you'll figure it out in no time," he shrugged, not to concerned with making it to his own class on time.

"So does that mean you're offering your assistance?" she offered him a hopeful smile, adjusting her backpack on her flannel shirt.

"I am," he reached for the paper in her hand and looked it over. "I do apologize for our classmates. I promise that they're not always so far stuck up their own asses. Mondays never seem to be the most alert day around here."

"I've noticed. Unlike my roommate, everyone else just seems distracted," Sara sighed, looking him over as he walked her to her first class.

"Who'd you end up with?" he chuckled, stealing glances at her as well.

"All she would tell me was that her name was Becky," she shrugged.

The boy winced, "yeah... she's... I would avoid her as much as possible. Not that I'm sure how much you can, but I'm sure you get what I mean."

She nodded, "I'm sure I can manage."

"Alright, so you're second period is right down that hall," he pointed down a hall as they passed it, "third is where we ran into each other, and first is right here. If you want to wait outside, maybe we could get lunch together?"

She nodded, "sounds good to me. Wait, what's your..." she stopped as she saw him dash down the hall once more to get to his own class. "Name." she sighed, shrugging. She'd get his name when they went to lunch. She took a deep breath, preparing for her first class in a new school. The day hadn't started out too bad. At least she seemed to make one friend. A cute one at that.

…

Sara made it through the first half of her day with little embarrassment. She knew the routine before it even started. Introduce herself at the beginning of class. Tell everyone a little about herself. Make it through the class. Nothing too drastic. For the most part, everything went well. She even met a few girls much nicer than her roommate, which was a definite bonus. Toward the end of third period, a couple of girls asked her if she wanted to go to lunch with them.

She smiled, shaking her head. "Thanks, but I already have an offer."

"Is that so?" A blonde girl asked, grinning. Sara believed she said that her name was Melissa.

Sara nodded, "he helped me to my first class. I didn't get his name, but judging by his build, I'd say he's on the football team, or something."

"Checking out boys on your first day, Sara?" a brunette giggled.

"It was sort of hard not to," Sara blushed a little, "Nicky, right?"

The girl nodded, "you're learning quickly."

Sara smiled, "I'm good with names."

"Any other description of this mystery boy?" Melissa smirked.

"He sort of looked like a rapper," Sara giggled as the bell rang.

The girls stood up together as Nicky's eyes went wide. "You mean John Cena?"

Sara shrugged as they walked to the door. "Like I said, I didn't get his name."

Melissa and Nicky waited with Sara as the boy that helped her earlier walked up to them.

"Him?" Nicky motioned to him as he approached them.

Sara nodded, blushing a bit more.

"Lucky," Melissa giggled. "Well, I guess we'll see you later."

"Hey Melissa. Hey Nicky," John grinned. "Keeping the new girl company for me?"

Nicky nodded, "be good, Cena," she teased as she walked away with the other girl.

Sara raised an eyebrow. "Be good?"

"They're just teasing, I promise." He brought an arm around her shoulders. "Shall we?"

Sara nodded, "so it's John?"

"Yup, and your name is?" He smiled as they walked toward the cafeteria.

"Sara Molinaro. Please don't ask me the questions all of the teachers have been asking me," she laughed.

"I can think of betters ones. Classroom questions aren't... friendly." He smirked as they got in line. "So how was the first half of your day?" he asked as he picked up two trays, handing her one.

Sara shrugged, taking the tray. "As well as can be expected. It's definitely different than what I'm used to."

"Are you from Massachusetts?" He knew that this was going to turn into twenty questions, but how else do you get to know someone?

She nodded, "I'm from Newton. What about you?"

"West Newbury. What brings you here?" He asked as he made his selections.

"My parents had to go to New York for six months, but I didn't want to be that far away from my friends. So have you been here for all of high school?"

He nodded, "it just felt like the best choice for me. I could have went to school with my brothers, but this is what I wanted."

She smiled, "how many brothers do you have?"

"Four. I'm the second oldest of five," he nodded as they paid for his meal.

"That's cool. I'm an only child," she answered before he could ask and paid for her's.

"Reading my mind already?" He chuckled as he walked across the room, finding a table for them to sit at. He normally sat with his friends, but he wanted to get to know Sara first before throwing her into his clique.

As they sat down, she blushed. "The get to know you conversation is a little on the predictable side."

He paused, thinking for a moment. "How do you feel about skydiving?"

She blinked a few times before busting out laughing. "Well, you've done it, John Cena."

He laughed, nodding. "There were other ways I could have gone, but this is still technically a first impression. We don't know each other well enough for me to bring out the really crazy stuff yet."

She raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Well... I've never done it, but I'm definitely open to trying it."

"Very good answer," he laughed a little more. "I see you're into the grunge look. Do you listen to any other sort of music?"

She nodded, "I'm into almost everything. If the beat and lyrics are good, I'll listen to it. I just like to dress like this because it's comfortable."

"Comfort is important. I really don't know how some girls dress the way the do and still feel good about themselves," he looked over to the table with the slutty girls who were all eyeing them with bitchy looks on their faces. He rolled his eyes. "And speaking of, it looks like they're getting jealous right now."

Sara smirked, looking over into the direction where John was. She saw Becky and waved at her, moving closer to John for effect. "I have a feeling I'm going to spend little to no time in my room if she's one of those girls."

"Let's hope she doesn't kill you in your sleep. She's been after me for a while," he groaned.

"Do I have permission to tell her that you're good if it comes up?" she licked her lips with an evil glint her eyes.

"Good?" he blinked, momentarily choking on his drink.

She shrugged, "I figure I may as well rub it in her face that you'd rather hang out with the new girl. Saying something vague like you're good and leaving it at that would just make it more fun."

"Well, as long as we're on the subject. I'm not like most high school jocks. I'm not looking for the quickest way to get into your pants." He stated calmly, regaining his composure.

She smiled, "I don't play it that way, anyway. If a guy is going to get into my pants, it will be on my terms." Yeah, she just practically admitted that she was a virgin, but she was sixteen. There wasn't anything written that a girl had to give it up at a certain age.

He nodded, a smile playing across his lips. "I think that I'm really going to like you, Sara Molinaro."

She grinned, finishing her food. "Maybe this place won't be so bad."


	2. Chapter 2

By the end of her first week at Cushing Sara had joined John's normal table during meals. There were a few more of the guys from the football team, their girlfriends, Melissa and Nicky, as well as a couple of other girls. Many times over the weeks, the group would break out in a freestyle rap, John leading the whole thing, to entertain their classmates during lunch. Sara got a verse in here and there, but she admittedly wasn't very good at it. At the same time, it made it that much more fun for her. It made John smile, which in her book made it a huge success. Sara's third week at her new school was Homecoming. She watched as Becky, as well as a number of other slutty girls asked John if he wanted to go to the dance with them, but he shot every single one of them down. He never gave a reason, nor did he show any signs of wanting to ask someone himself. Sara not so secretly wished that he would ask her. Everyone at their table knew that they were into each other, but neither had let it on to the other yet. By Wednesday, his friends began hinting at the idea during lunch.

"Well, I believe that every easy girl on campus has asked Cena to the dance now," a blonde guy, who's name was Mike, chuckled.

"You know I'm not into that type of girl, guys," John shrugged.

"There are plenty of nice, single girls right under your nose, dude," John's best friend, Steve, pointed out.

"And if I don't want to go to the dance with a date?" John glanced over at Sara with a small smile.

"We all know that's a lie," one of the girlfriends got up and made her way to the garbage to discard her water bottle and headed out of the room.

The rest of the group began to get up and leave for their next class, leaving John and Sara alone. It wasn't the first time, so they didn't think anything of it.

John shook his head as he grabbed her trash, tossing it into the garbage before walking back over to her to walk her out and to her next class. "Do you have a date to the dance?"

"Nah," she shrugged.

"Hasn't Mike asked you? I was sure he was into you."

She shook her head, "no one has asked me yet."

"Well, that's not cool. A cute girl has to have a date to her first dance at a new school. I'll see if I can find someone for you," he began thinking over possible options.

"Or we could just go together," she suggested with a shrug.

He stopped in his tracks, blinking. "Seriously?"

"It can be just as friends," she bit her lip.

"No, no... I just... I mean..." his cheeks turned bright red.

She pulled him into a secluded corner, smirking. "Untie your tongue and put it to better use."

Without giving her time to react, he leaned in, capturing her lips with his. His tongue immediately begging entrance into her mouth. He knew that wasn't what she meant by her suggestive statement, but he couldn't help himself. This was something that he had wanted to do from the moment that he first saw her, but he was just waiting for the right time. He gently placed a hand on her hip as he felt her lips part and their tongues touched. They continued kissing until they heard applauding and cheering merely ten feet away from them. They both blushed as they pulled away, John wiping the Lip Smackers from around his lips.

"What I meant was you could admit that you didn't think that I liked you like that," Sara giggled. "But I do like that response, as well."

"Well, I didn't. I guess I didn't even try to find out," he shrugged.

"Hey, I've only been here a little over three weeks, and neither of us started dating someone else. So it's all good," she smiled as their friends walked up to them.

"Damn Cena, about time," Steve chuckled, reaching out to John to do their handshake.

"You could have told us we were into each other," John laughed.

"Now where would the fun in that be?" Melissa shrugged.

Sara smiled, "so... the dance?"

John nodded, "I think they may kill us otherwise."

…

Thankfully Sara already had a dress that she could wear to the dance. She had worn it to a dance at her previous school, but it would be new to everyone at Cushing. Plus, she knew of a way to spice it up since this time she actually had a date. That afternoon Sara sat with her new friends during the football game. John played one of his best games to date. The whole group knew that he was showing off for Sara, but it was to be expected from him. The showboating was somewhat normal for him, but he had been overdoing it a tad in that game. At the same time, he did it responsibly, mindful of what was going on in the game. The game was awesome and John got the final touchdown, securing the win at the very end. Once the game was over, the student body rushed the field. The girlfriends of the players made sure to make their way to their men as quickly as possible. Sara made it to John just before Becky did. She grinned deviously at her roommate as John removed his helmet so that he could receive a congratulatory kiss from Sara. They weren't officially dating yet, but it would only be a matter of time.

Sara giggled as John lifted her up, watching as Becky sneered. "Maybe I should find somewhere else to stay tonight..." She swallowed visibly as she brought her legs around his waist.

Melissa bit her lip, getting the same vibe as her friend. "You can stay with us."

Sara sighed, loosely bringing her arms around John's shoulders to secure herself. "At this rate, I'm going to have to request a transfer. Such a silly reason, though."

John shrugged, "it's not your fault that I'm not into her type."

"Nothing wrong with liking them respectable," Steve grinned, slipping an arm around Melissa's waist.

Sara raised an eyebrow, "wait... seriously? When were you two going to tell us?"

Melissa looked back at Steve with a shrug, "because it's new. About as official as the two of you."

Sara nodded with a smile, "it feels so good."

"What does?" John smirked.

"Being held in your arms... kissing you... the thought of getting to dance with you later tonight..." Sara shrugged. "You know, all of the possibilities that lie ahead of us." She leaned down to kiss him sweetly.

John returned the kiss with a grin, "yes. Possibilities are a good thing."

"Jeez, you two," one of the other guys shook his head. "Are you sure you've only been together a few days?"

Nicky giggled, "looks more like about six months, if you ask me."

Sara blushed as John gently set her down. "It is starting to feel like that."

"I know what you mean," John nodded as he watched the rest of the team begin to retreat to the locker room. He frowned, turning to Sara. "I should hit the showers."

Sara nodded with a playful pout, "seven for dinner, right?"

John nodded, kissing her pout. "I'll see you then."

…

Sara had made it back to her room in time to gather everything that she needed for the rest of the weekend before Becky had returned. However, she didn't leave quite as quickly as she could have. She ran into her roommate just as she walked out of the door.

"How did a scummy little bitch like yourself score a hottie like John Cena?" Becky held her arm across the doorway, blocking Sara's path.

"I was myself," Sara shrugged, rolling her eyes with a groan.

"But I tried everything. I used all of my tricks," the slutty girl glared at her roommate.

"Maybe tricks was the problem. Not every teenage boy likes a skank who openly turns tricks," Sara pushed passed the other girl roughly.

"I'll still have him, bitch!" Becky called out after Sara. "You'll see."

Without turning to face the other girl, Sara lifted her hand in the air, giving her roommate the middle finger as she made her way to Nicky and Melissa's dorm. She took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm herself when she reached the door. After knocking on the other girl's door, she ran her fingers through her brown hair, biting her lip.

When Melissa opened the door, she pouted sympathetically. "You ran into Becky, didn't you?"

Sara nodded, rolling her eyes. She wasn't mad, she wasn't hurt, she was just annoyed. Any respectable girl would give up once a boy made it clear that he wasn't into her. Then there was the slutty bitches who believed they ran the school. Sara was used to these girls, though. Every school had girls like Becky didn't know how to take 'no' for an answer. They believed that they could have whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it. Sara knew that she was in for a hellacious ride as long as Becky had her eye on John, but she was willing to go through whatever she had to. She wasn't about to leave him. She had a good feeling about John Cena. One that she wasn't about to let go any time soon.

"Don't let her get to you," Melissa stepped aside, letting the other girl into the room.

"Oh I'm not," Sara grinned. "I've seen plenty of her kind. They're all the same."

Nicky nodded with a laugh as she looked up from her bed. "Clawing and tearing to get what they want. Yet at the same time, just simply not getting it."

Sara smiled as she set her bag down, pulling out her dressed. It was a simple black, mid-thigh, flowing dress the shoulders cut out. "I know that she's not done with me, but we'll just take it as it comes."

"Well if any guy is worth it around here, it's John Cena," Nicky smiled.

"What about Steven?" Melissa pouted playfully.

"Are you currently trying to deal with a skank trying to hop on his dick every time you turn around?" her friend smirked.

"No," Melissa sighed. "That almost seems just as bad as it is good."

"Less work, yet having the satisfaction that he clearly chooses you is a very nice feeling," Sara nodded.

"I bet. I've known that John wanted you ever since the first time I saw him look at you," Melissa smirked.

"That was my first day here," Sara's eyes widened.

"It's called a first impression, Sar," Nicky giggled, standing up and held Sara's dress up to her, starting to plan her hair and make-up around it. "Sometimes that's all it takes."

Melissa took a good look at the dress, "heels or flats?"

"Well, since I can't wear my AirWalks," Sara laughed. "I have a pair of heels in the bag."

"John would probably like that," Melissa giggled.

"Good point," Nicky nodded.

Sara quickly shook her head, "I'll only wear sneakers with a denim mini. It just wouldn't look right with this."

"Heels it is," Melissa nodded. "Do you have your make-up?"

"My make-up consists of dark eye make-up and Lip Smackers," Sara laughed with a shrug.

"We can work with that," Nicky smiled. "You'll get a little more than that, but not much."

"I'm your doll for the night girls," Sara shrugged. "Do your worst."

* * *

**Okay, so the dance/John and Sara's first date will be the next chapter. If you'd like to see Sara's dress, there's a link in my profile :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I could have had this done yesterday, but I've been a little less than focused. As some of you know, my mind is a little plagued by "The AJ Scandal". My final thoughts on the whole thing is that I'd believe they both were hooking up that night, but most likely not with each other. I honestly think that John looks like AJ as a little sister. Simple as that. **

* * *

John and Steve made their way to Melissa and Nicky's dorm room, right before seven that evening. To say that John was nervous was a bit of an understatement, but he hid it remarkably. They both wore a simple black tuxedo, his bowtie and cummerbund representing the school colors. John paced back and forth in front of the door a few times before composing himself and knocking, Steve smirking the entire time. In one hand John had a wrist corsage for Sara, and a bouquet of pink roses in the other.

Nicky answered the door with a grin. "Well hello boys, you're right on time." The girl who was going to the dance stag wore a dark blue, one shoulder mini dress. Her hair was pulled up in a braided bun, with a couple of tendril curls. She wore a velvet choker style necklace with a plastic sapphire in the front.

"Well, I hope that this is an indication of how good our girls are going to look," Steve grinned.

"It could be," Nicky smiled, revealing her friends. Sara had added a silver belly chain to her dress, having just to add a simple stitch at either of her hips to secure it. Her hair was in curls, perfectly complimenting her face. Melissa wore a red, sleeveless, floor length gown with a deep v-cut. She let her long hair hang down with a soft curl.

"Yeah, I'd say that they are," John smiled, slipping the corsage on Sara's wrist before handing her the roses.

The girls found somewhere to put the flowers for the night before grabbing their handbags. Melissa and Sara linked arms with their dates before looking back to Nicky with a pout.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" John looked to Nicky.

"The sound of being a fifth wheel isn't very appealing," Nicky sighed.

Steve shook his head, "but you're ready to go. It's the least we could do."

"Yeah, c'mon girl," Sara pouted, batting her eyelashes.

"Well... looks like Cena is going to have his handful with this one," Nicky laughed as she grabbed her handbag. "I guess I'm in."

"Nothing wrong with that," John chuckled. "It's all part of the adventure."

The group went to a little Italian restaurant just outside of campus for dinner. The chatted and made sure not to fill themselves up too much on the delicious food before heading to the dance. After they finished, the girls excused themselves, heading to the bathroom to fix their make-up and have a last minute talk before going to the actual dance. John began to protest to Sara leaving, but she reminded him how much he likes her Lip Smackers. This caused him to blush and sit back, allowing her to leave.

Once the girls gathered in the restroom, Melissa and Nicky started giggling.

Sara just smirked, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I know I made him blush in public. It's fun."

"Just how much kissing have you been getting in these past few days," Nicky nudged her playfully.

"Enough," Sara shrugged as she pulled her tube of watermelon Lip Smackers gloss. "Hell, the furthest we've gone was in front of the entire school a few hours ago. He might be the one, he might not. Only time will tell, really."

"You want him to be," Melissa grinned as she fixed her lip gloss.

"I can't deny that," Sara smiled widely. "I know that I've only known him a few weeks, but it just feels right."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Nicky smiled with a nod. "That's how it was with my boyfriend. He graduated last year, but we had only been together for a few weeks before we knew for sure."

"Do you really think that John and I could go the distance?" Sara sighed as she gave herself one more look over.

"Given what we know about both of you, I'd have to go with yes," Melissa smiled.

"I really hope so. He's great," Sara smiled as she put her lip gloss away.

The other girls nodded as they finished up and walked back out into the restaurant. Outside of the door, the boys were waiting for them. John and Steve held out an arm for Sara and Melissa. The girls linked their arms with their dates, smiling. John turned back to Nicky, who was looking a little awkward and grinned, holding out his other arm to her.

"Thanks," she laughed softly as she walked to his other side.

"Not a problem, girl. I just ask that you save a dance for me," John grinned as they walked back out of the building, heading for the dance.

"What about Sara?" Nicky looked over to her friend.

"Are you kidding?" Sara shook her head. "I insist. My feet will eventually need a rest."

…

The one down side of music around that time was that it was either rock or very suggestive. No one really danced when alternative songs played, and there were a handful of chaperones watching as the hip-hop songs played, making sure that the teens weren't dancing too close to one another. This didn't bother John and Sara. Where they did definitely like each other, they both consciously kept away from the dance moves that appeared more sexual. There were a few times where Sara caught Becky and her bitch squad staring her down. Toward the end of the night, this caused Sara to think about how Becky would be dancing with John if she were to get the chance to. She sighed, leaning into him with a small frown.

"Hey what's-" he stopped himself as he looked up to see Becky looking at them and shook his head. He reached down, gently cupping Sara's chin and tilting her head up. "Just remember, I'm with you and that's exactly what I want," he kissed her sweetly.

She nodded as she returned the kiss, pressing into it a bit for emotional confirmation. Once she pulled away, she noticed that Becky had left. "I'm glad I found a guy who doesn't like girls like that. Most guys our age are so hormone driven so they just gravitate to the easy girls."

John shrugged, "I just feel like some things are worth waiting for."

"So do you mean..." Sara bit her lip. "Okay, I don't know how to word this."

"I don't like the easy girls because I'm waiting for the right girl. I'm in no rush when it comes to that stuff."

Sara nodded, hugging him tightly as a slow song started to play. "And when we find the right person, we wait for the right time."

"You tryin' to tell me something?" he smirked as he slipped his arms around her waist loosely.

She smiled, "indicating without making things awkward."

He thought for a moment before nodding. "We're on the same page, then." He smiled as he swayed in the time with the music with her.

"Which I have to admit, sort of surprises me," she bit her lip, looking down.

"What does?" he grinned, knowing exactly what she was hinting at, but wanting to hear it.

She slowly looked up, taking a deep breath. "That a guy as good looking and charismatic as you are actually happens to still be holding his v-card."

"So you think that I'm good looking?" he chuckled.

"Oh hell yeah," she giggled. "And I happen to be damn proud that I snagged a hottie like you, because I'm apparently a scummy little bitch."

"Is that so?" he smirked, spotting Becky reappear.

She nodded, "I laughed and threw out an insult that she didn't understand. It was fun."

"See, now you've got to tell me what you said," he grinned, pulling away as another fast song began to play.

"She said that she has used all of her tricks to try and get you, so I said that not every teenage boy likes a girl who turns tricks. She knew that it was an insult, but I could tell that she didn't fully get it."

He laughed, shaking his head. "I get it, and I agree. It's not like I'm even the only guy here who doesn't go for that shit."

She shrugged, "girls like her don't get that. They've all programmed themselves to believe that the only way that they can get a guys attention is to be sexual. I can only imagine how many times she's thrown herself at you before I got here."

He nodded with a sigh, "and she's not the only one. I mean, sure you made jokes on the subject the day that we met, but you had absolutely no intention to make a move. That's what attracted me to you so quickly."

"Is it too soon to admit that I wanted to jump you the first time I saw you?" she smirked, brushing up against him a bit.

"But you didn't, and I can tell that you still have no real intention of going for it. I mean, yeah it's good to know that you want me, but there can be more than that. The fact that you went for friendship first instead made me want to have you as my girl," he exhaled sharply, trying to keep his physical reaction to a minimum.

She smirked, raising her eyebrow as she looked into his eyes, "did you just say that you want me to be your girl?"

He swallowed hard, "well that is... I mean... if you want to be."

She giggled, kissing him deeply. They got lost in the kiss, their tongues doing all of the dancing for the rest of the song and into the next. As she slowly pulled away, she opened her eyes, sucking his bottom lip into her mouth as she looked him with a lustful glare. Just as she could feel him about to turn into a puddle she released him, laughing. "Deep breaths, Cena. Only momentary impulses for now."

"Is that a yes?" he grinned, keeping her body close to his.

She nodded, "I just like messing with you. You just make it so damn fun."

"Nothing wrong with that," he shrugged. "You may as well mark your territory in such a manner. Plus, it's not like I'm complaining."

"I would hope not. Otherwise, you'd just simply not be normal. Just 'cause we're not getting down the first night that doesn't mean the attraction isn't there," she shrugged with a smirk as another slow song started and Nicky walked over to them.

Before they could get their arms around each other, Nicky brought an arm around Sara's shoulders. "May I cut in?"

John chuckled, wiping at the lip gloss that managed to end up outside of his lips. "We did promise," he nodded. He kissed Sara softly before bringing a hand to Nicky's hip, taking her hand in his other.

Sara giggled as Nicky placed her hand on John's shoulder. "Four minutes. I need to take a potty break, anyway." She smiled brightly as she made her way to the ladies room. After taking care of her business she walked up to the sinks to wash her hands, just as Becky walked out of one of the other stalls. Sara rolled her eyes as she looked at her roommate in the mirror. "Is there something I can help you with?" She dried off her hands as she turned to face the other girl.

"Don't play that innocent little girl act. You're just another slut and you're only out to nail the most popular guy in school. It's beyond me how it's working," the disgust on Becky's face was adamantly apparent.

Sara smiled, shrugging. "I don't know what you're talking about, Rebecca. John and I just happened to click right away. I'd be lying if I were to say that I didn't want to sleep with him, but that's not my first priority. I'm not like you." She spun on her heel, making her way to the door.

"Not so fast, you little cunt!" Becky grabbed Sara's shoulder and spun her back around, her other fist meeting the other girl's eye.

Sara laughed, rubbing her cheek. It didn't hurt that much, but it was definitely going to leave a mark. "I've been waiting for you do do that, bitch." She grabbed Becky by the hair, pushing her face into the paper towel dispenser before locking arms with her and hip tossing her onto the floor. During that last act, the door swung open, Melissa was just about to walk in, and Steve was on the other side of the hall from the door.

Melissa blinked as Becky's body hit the floor, seeing Sara's eye already beginning to redden and swell. "She hit you first, right?"

A devious grin played across Sara's face. "I was just defending myself," she shrugged as Steve dashed off to get Mike, John, and Nicky. She let the door close, looking to her friend. "If you have to go, I'd suggest you do it now and quickly."

Melissa nodded, slipping into a stall. Once she was out and was washing her hands Nicky walked in, just as Becky was coming to. Nicky opened the door wide enough for the guys to see the scene as Melissa and Sara walked out of the room.

Sara walked over to John, kissing him sweetly. "We should probably get going, babe."

John nodded, slipping an arm around his girlfriend's waist. "Monday is going to be fun," he said sarcastically as they lead the group out of the building and toward the dorms.

Once they were outside, Sara looked around to her friends. "Just so everyone knows, she did hit me first. We all know that she's going to claim otherwise."

"Yeah, unfortunately your black eye isn't going to be enough," Melissa sighed.

"You've got yourself a fighter there, Cena," Mike grinned.

"I'd just like to know how she learned how to do a hip toss," Steve looked over to John and Sara.

"You hip tossed her?" John blinked.

Sara grinned, shrugging. "There are a few moves you can learn from observation."


	4. Chapter 4

On Monday, there was an outpouring of support for Sara and the fact that she had stood up to Becky at the dance. Becky was one of those girls who was only liked like her little group of friends. Many of the girls went to the school administration as character witnesses against Becky. Thankfully, the board recognized the fact that despite there had been more damaged had been done on Becky, that didn't absolutely mean that she wasn't the one who had started the altercation. She already had a record against her. This wasn't the first time that she had gotten into a fight with a girl over one of the boys in the school. This just happened to be the first time someone had gotten the upper hand against her. Sara didn't have a record at her old school, so the school board sided with the majority of the student body. Becky was kicked out of Cushing for her actions, where Sara received two days suspension and two weeks of detention for fighting. No one argued with the consequences. The rules were the rules and they had all agreed to abide by them upon entrance into the school. Sara liked this news the most because it meant that she wouldn't have to deal with the roommate from hell any longer. In fact, she wouldn't be having a roommate at all for the rest of the school year. It was only November, but there wasn't any girls on the waiting list to get into the school in Becky's place.

Things were quiet in Cushing for a few weeks. Becky being the little ring leader of the slutty bitches meant that the rest were left a little lost as to what to do. It was just before winter break when one of them stood up on one of the tables during lunch.

"Hey everyone," she paused to wait out the groans. "I just heard that the scummy bitch Molinaro has herpes!"

A number of the students began laughing, including Melissa, Nicky, Steve, Mike, John, and even Sara herself. "That's a good one, Carter," Sara called out, rolling her eyes.

Jill Carter crossed her arms over her chest, pouting. "I've heard that you've got 'the clap', too."

"Again, something that's sexually transmitted. Meaning that I've had to have done something sexual ever," Sara shrugged.

"But..." Jill motioned to John as she stepped off of the table, dejected.

"Guilty," John smiled. "We're just a couple of virgins over here. Sorry." He brought his arm around Sara's shoulders.

Jill and her friends turned their noses up, walking out of the cafeteria with a huff.

"I guess someone misses Becky," Sara giggled, leaning into John. "Though I have to admit, that was fun."

"And Cena just admitted to the whole school that he's a virgin," Mike smirked.

John shrugged, "and?"

"Just saying, dude," Mike shrugged. "Though, it was a good argument against Sara having any STDs."

Sara nodded, "it's true. You can't hcontract something like that without ever committing the acts that happen to cause them."

…

Sara went up to West Newbury the day after Christmas, intending on spending the rest of the break with John and his family. She was actually honest with her parents to a point. She had met John at school, and they had began dating a few weeks later. However, she told them John would be bunking with one of his brothers, giving her his room for her stay. They allowed her to go, her mother giving her a look that told her that she could tell that their daughter was lying, but knew it was best to keep up with the lie for her father's sake.

As she dropped off her bags in John's room, she turned to her boyfriend. "My dad thinks that you won't be sleeping in your room while I'm here. I think that my mom knows, though."

John nodded, kissing her softly. "I know how fathers can be about their daughters. I understand."

Sara smiled, pulling out a small box from her bag, taking John's hand and pulling him over to his bed, sitting down. "I know that you said that I didn't have to get you a present, but I wanted to anyway."

He smiled as she handed him the box. He opened it to see a 24 carat gold chain inside. He grinned widely, dropping it over his head. "I love it, baby." He sat down next to her, slipping an arm around her waist with a nervous look in his eyes.

"Hey," she placed a sweet, yet passionate kiss on his lips. "Just remember, just because we can, that doesn't mean we have to."

He nodded, "I have to admit. I really don't think that I'm ready."

She giggled softly, moving to sit on his lap. "Johnny... baby... It's okay, I promise."

"Are you sure?" he frowned.

"I'd even be okay with it if we made it so that I'm not lying to my dad and we not share a bed while I'm here. I'm just happy to be spending time with you without the fear that we will get yelled at for cuddling or kissing."

"I do like the idea of sleeping with you in my arms," he smiled, rubbing his nose against hers.

"Then we will," she nodded. "I mean seriously, we haven't even got a chance to go for second yet. Let's just take things one step at a time. I'm not going anywhere."

He looked down at her chest, licking his lip. "I won't lie Sara, I've been itching to go at least that far."

"You almost sound like as if you haven't gotten to second with a girl before," she giggled.

"You need to stop being so surprised with my lack of experience," he pouted playfully.

"I'm sorry, babe. It's just so cute. I have a lot of respect for you for wanting to wait. There's nothing wrong with it. We have no reason to rush, John. We might have sex before going back to school. We might not. You might graduate a virgin..." She paused, her lips curling up into a grin, "you might not."

"Well whatever happens, I'll be happy just because we're together. I know that it's only been a couple of months, but I really feel that I want it to be you. It doesn't have to be now. It doesn't have to be by the end of the week. I don't even care if we wait until ma-" he blinked, biting his lip.

"Well, I guess that just put a whole new spin on everything for us," she smiled. "I won't lie, John. I've been picturing our future the past couple of weeks."

"You see a future for us?" he slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her chest up to his.

She nodded, loving the feeling of being in his muscular arms. "Marriage, kids, a big yard. I want it all, and I want it with you."

He smiled, leaning in and kissing her deeply. As soon as their lips touched, her tongue immediately dove into his mouth. She wanted to explore every inch of his mouth, not really getting a chance to in school. She wasn't looking to go all the way right then and there, but getting to make out without the fear of being caught was very appealing to her. She ran her hands along his back as she felt one of his hands slip under her shirt. She moaned softly as she felt his hand on her sensitive skin for the very first time.

"You okay?" he murmured against her lips, his thumb brushing just under her breast.

"That means I like it, silly," she giggled into the kiss.

"Oh... right," he blushed as he deepened the kiss once more. He gently cupped her breast, running his thumb along her nipple over her bra.

The sensation caused Sara to feel a slight tingle between her thighs. She knew that this was a red flag, and they would have to stop soon, but she wasn't ready for it to end quite yet. She squeezed her thighs together, attempting to fight off the feelings that his actions were giving her. She kept it in for a couple of more minutes until his other hand found it's way to her thigh. She squeaked softly before pulling away, panting softly.

He looked into her eyes, biting his lip. "I probably shouldn't have done that."

She quickly shook her head, "it wasn't a bad thing, baby. It's just..." she sighed, "we really shouldn't start anything that we both know that neither of us are ready to finish."

He nodded, moving his hands back to her waist. "No girl has ever looked at me the way that you're looking at me right now."

"Yeah, I'm just a little," she took a deep breath, finally composing herself, "warm."

His cheeks began to flush, "oh... I've heard about that. I'd be lying if I said that a part of me wasn't grinning on the inside right now."

She smiled, "there's nothing wrong with taking pride in the fact that you know that you just physically turned me on."

He nodded, "speaking of... you kinda need to move." He picked her up and sat her down next to him.

She grinned, "I didn't even have to do anything."

"Oh trust me," he exhaled sharply. "Position plus reaction was more than enough."

She smiled, "do you just want to get ready for bed and watch a movie?"

He looked over to his alarm clock, seeing that it was already half past ten. "Sounds like a plan. The bathroom is two doors down. Be careful, though. My brothers and I don't always close the door. They know that you're here, but they may not always remember."

She giggled, getting up and pulling a couple of things out of her sports duffle. "Trust me, they may end up family some day, but I want yours to be the first one I see."

He smiled, getting up and kissing her softly. "It'd be an honor Sara Ann Molinaro. When the time is right, of course."

"No forcing, no rushing," she nodded, slipping out of his room and to the bathroom. She returned ten minutes later, wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of flannel boxers. She smiled at her boyfriend, "before you ask, yes they are men's boxers," she giggled.

He grinned, kissing her softly, now only in a pair of flannel pajama pants. "I like it. I'll be right back."

She nodded, walking over to his bed and pulling back the covers. She sat down by the pillows, not sure which side to sit on. She hadn't exactly slept next to someone, so she didn't know how it was going to work for them. She waited patiently, sitting back and looking around his room until he returned.

Five minutes later, John returned to his bedroom with a VHS case in hand. "I have Lion King."

Her eyes widened as she grinned. "Put it in!"

"I thought you might like that," he put the tape in the player and grabbed his universal remote. He looked over to his bed, tilting her head. "I guess that we're going to have to figure this out." He crawled into bed next to her, slipping his arms around her. He paused for a moment before nodding, "this works." He turned on his TV and VCR, starting the movie.

"We can always change later if we want," she nodded, laying her head on his shoulder.

He smiled, kissing her temple as the movie began. He pulled the covers around them as he hummed along to "The Circle of Life"and brought an arm around her. "Yes, I know the songs."

"I like it," she kissed his cheek. "I still think that you're the manliest man I know."

"And that's the opinion that matters the most to me." He sighed happily, getting into the movie. He held her close when she began crying during the stampede scene, tearing up a little himself. They began drifting off to sleep after "Hakuna Matata" but didn't mind at all. They were comfortable and happy. They could finish the movie the next day.

* * *

**Yes, VHS lol John was in high school in the mid-90s. I don't remember when DVDs started.**


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of break went much like the first night. Despite the fact that John and Sara had plenty of ample opportunity to make love, they decided that it never felt right. Instead they chatted and cuddled with a make-out session here and there. It was agreed that a step that big shouldn't be taken, simply because they had the time to do so. They were in no rush. They weren't about to let any sort of social pressures get to them. They had only been together a little over two months, which some may argue was too soon, anyway. This may have been one of the reasons they were still waiting, but they never addressed it. Things were peaceful when they returned to Cushing. With Becky gone, and the remaining members of her crew realizing they couldn't get to Sara, they decided to move on. John was completely off of the market now, and he was going to stay that way. Football season was long since over, and basketball had taken over, but their group was still the favorite in the halls and the cafeteria.

On Valentine's Day, John had two dozen, long stem red roses sent to Sara in one of her morning classes. She held them close until lunch, when she got a chance to run them to her room before meeting everyone in the cafeteria. The couple got barely any eating in before they had to go to their next class. Instead, they fed each other little bites here and there while mostly giving each other Eskimo kisses and talking quietly. They were in love, but they hadn't admitted it yet. Not even to themselves. During her last class, Sara received a huge box of chocolates. There wasn't a note, but there didn't need to be. Everyone knew exactly who it was from. Even if they hadn't, it didn't matter. Sara did.

"Really?" Sara giggled as John walked up to her after classes were over.

"I like to give my girl nice things. Though, I'm trying to not spoil you too much," he grinned, bringing an arm around her shoulders.

"I probably wouldn't stop you," she smirked, looking up at her boyfriend. "It feels good to be showered with gifts."

He nodded, "I'll remember that." He walked her to her room to drop off her things before taking her off to where they would have their Valentine's mini date. Seeing as how it was a school night, they couldn't do anything too extravagant. Not that either minded much.

Since they hadn't been caught walking into her dorm, Sara closed the door behind them with a grin. There were two stipulations when it came to the opposite gender coming into the dorms at Cushing, the door had to stay open, and it had to be before ten at night. She grinned, looking into his eyes as she set her things down. She knew that they wouldn't have long if they wanted to get out just as they came in, but she took the chance anyway. She walked over to him, kissing him hungrily. He knew that they shouldn't, but he couldn't help himself when she came at him like that. He returned the kiss, matching her passion. His hands found their way to her butt, grabbing on and picking her up just long enough to spin her around and press her up against the wall without breaking the kiss. On instinct, she wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing her arms around his shoulders for support. They shouldn't. They just couldn't help themselves. John let his hands wander along her back for a few minutes as they continued kissing until she pulled away, letting out a moan.

"Fuck, John..." she smirked, looking down into his eyes.

He smiled, gently dropping her to the ground. "Hey, you were the one who made that move."

"I know," she grinned, grabbing her purse. "I just wanted to thank you for everything."

"That was a 'thank you'?" he blinked in disbelief.

She shrugged, "as well as a gift for both of us."

"Who needs material possessions when you can have something like that?" he laughed.

She nodded, "exactly. Now shall we go?" She motioned for him to stay away from the doorway and peeked out, making sure that there was still no one around before taking his hand and slipping away. Now they could go for their date.

They went to the gym, which had Sara a little confused. However, the basketball team had long since cleared out after their practice and John's friends set up a little surprise for her. The lights were low and there were a few candles on the bleachers. There was a table set at center court with a single candle and some take out for their dinner. There was a boombox near the table playing love songs, which made Sara smile. She turned to her boyfriend, blinking. "This is crazy," she giggled.

"But you like it, right?" he brought his arm around her shoulders and leading her to the table.

She smiled, "of course, baby. It's crazy romantic."

He grinned, pulling out one of the chairs for her. "That's good. I knew we wouldn't be able to leave campus since it's a school night, so I thought of this."

She kissed him softly before sitting down, "well I think it's perfect. Thank you."

"You're very welcome," he pushed her chair in gently before going around to the other chair.

"I'm actually starving," she laughed, opening her food and taking a bite.

"That's because we didn't actually eat lunch," he laughed, nodding.

"I couldn't help it," she blushed. "I'm surprised we haven't gotten in trouble for all of the cuddling we do in the cafeteria."

"We probably shouldn't push it," he nodded. "I mean, there are rules. It's one thing that our parents are cool with the relationship, but that doesn't mean we get a 'get out of jail free' card here for that reason."

She nodded with a smirk, "it's too bad, really."

"Why do you say that?" he looked up at her.

"I'd just ask you to stay in my room with me. I still have the other bed. We could just push them together," she grinned.

"I won't lie," he returned the grin, shaking his head, "I would definitely like that."

She nodded, taking a sip of her drink. "Too bad I know we both plan on going to college. I honestly believe that we're ready to live together. Or at least try to."

"We did make it a whole week at my house," he smiled, reaching across the table and taking her hand.

She giggled, nodding, "even with your brothers there. Whom I just adore, by the way."

His smile grew wider, "they're great. It means a lot to me that you got along with them."

"I wasn't even going out of my way, babe," she squeezed his hand. "I genuinely liked them."

"That's even better. I wouldn't want something like that to get in the way of our relationship."

She nodded, "nope. Definitely not. I don't see me not getting along with anyone that you're close to."

"How did I happen to find someone so perfect?"

She shrugged, "thank my parents' boss. If they hadn't gotten that assignment in New York, we may have never met."

They continued talking for at least a half hour after they finished their food. Their conversation was cut short by Steve and Melissa walking into the room and starting to blow out the candles. "Sorry guys," Melissa walked up to the table with a sympathetic pout.

Sara nodded, "all good things must come to an end." She stood up, starting to clean up her things, only to be stopped by John

"You know better than that," he smirked, taking all of the trash and disposing of it for her. He helped Steve clean up.

The girls walked off to a corner of the gym together, Melissa's face beaming. "So?"

"So what?" Sara feigned innocence.

"Please. How was it?" her best friend grinned, hitting the other girl's arm playfully.

Sara shrugged, "it was really sweet."

"Sweet enough to jump him?" Melissa wiggled her eyebrows

"Oh trust me, the thought has occurred to me. I just..." she shrugged with a sigh. "I don't quite think that we're there yet. I mean, we both know damn well that the physical attraction is there, but it still doesn't feel right quite yet."

The other girl nodded, "nothing wrong with taking your time. Plus, it's probably best to wait it out. I mean... what if you two are about to get it on in the dorms and it turns out you're a screamer?"

Sara blinked a few times, not noticing that the guys were walking up to them. "I guess I've never really thought of it. I mean, I've never even..." she motioned awkwardly, not having the words to finish her confession.

"Not even on your own?" Melissa blinked.

"What haven't you done on your own, babe?" John slipped his arms around Sara's waist.

Sara's eyes went wide as she turned bright red. "N-nothing, baby."

"It looks like you're going to be needing to put that golden tongue to use in a way you never had before here soon, Cena," Melissa grinned, pulling Steve away.

Once the other couple had left the gym, John sputtered, his own eyes going wide. "Did she just suggest what I think she did?"

"That you go down on me because I've never had an orgasm?" she bit her lip, turning to face her boyfriend.

"I... I don't know what to say," he blinked a few times, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Have you really never... I mean..."

She smiled softly, "it's not as cut and dry for us girls. I just haven't figured out how it works for me yet."

He nodded, leaning in to kiss her softly. "We'll get to that when it's time." He lead her out of the gym, heading toward her dorm.

"Hey John..." she said softly as they walked across the campus.

"Yeah baby," he kissed the side of her head.

"Well first, I love you," she bit her lip, waiting to get that out, but unsure of how he'd react.

He smiled, "I was wondering who was going to say it first. I love you too, Sara."

She let out a sigh of relief, leaning into him a bit.

"What? Did you actually think I may not feel the same way? We've basically already established it, just not in those words," he shrugged. "Is there anything else?" he asked as they came close to her dorm.

She took a deep breath. "I think that we should buy some condoms when we are able to leave campus this weekend."

He froze up a bit, "are you sure?"

She smiled, "we can both tell that it's coming. Wouldn't you prefer to be prepared?"

He nodded, "you've got a point. I don't want to be in the heat of passion, only to not think of protection and end up with a baby before we're ready."

…

It was close to spring break when John decided to sneak into Sara's room in the middle of the night. They had purchased condoms, as agreed upon, and kept a box in each of their rooms. John keeping one on him at all times. They were getting more and more comfortable with one another. Third base came out of left field for them a couple of weeks after Valentine's Day. They were making out in an empty class room when John's hand slipped under Sara's skirt. It wasn't even a conscious effort on his part. It just naturally felt like the next thing to do. He wasn't expecting it when she reached her climax, but neither of them regretted the moment they shared. After that, the couple began going with the flow. Never backing down from any action. John had absolutely no intention of having sex with his girlfriend that night. He just wanted to climb into bed with her and cuddle.

He smiled as he knocked on her window, thankful she was on the first floor.

Sara slowly stirred as she woke up, seeing her boyfriend just outside of her window. She smiled as she got up, the oversized t-shirt that she had been wearing for bed time during the winter had been exchanged with a tiny tank top. She opened the window for him, stepping aside to let him in. She closed the window once more, not wanting to let the AC out. "And to what do I owe this pleasure?" she whispered.

"I just missed you," he shrugged, whispering as well.

She nodded, taking his hand and leading him over to her bed and climbing back in. After he laid down beside her, she pulled the covers around them. She curled up next to him, kissing his neck a few times.

"I see how this is. No, 'hi baby, how have things been going since the last time we saw each other?' Just right to fooling around," he chuckled as he fought back a moan.

"It's only been a few hours. I can really only think of one thing that would make you want to sneak into my room in the middle of the night," she ran her hand up his shirt, loving the feel of his toned abs.

"I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about you. I had this dream... Oh who the fuck am I kidding?" he laughed, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it aside before leaning over to kiss her.

"That's what I thought," she giggled as he began playing with her breasts.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day Sara walked into third period with a huge smile on her face as she sat down with her friends. There had been whispers going around the campus the entire day, but with the look on her face, Melissa and Nicky knew exactly what had happened the night before.

"I don't think it happened," Nicky smirked, looking to Melissa as Sara sat down.

"I don't know," Melissa giggled. "She looks even happier than usual."

…

Steve and Mike cornered John in the hall. Steve took John's right hand, examining the bite marks. "Looks like Cena did it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," John grinned, fighting back a blush.

…

Sara licked her lips, "what are we talking about?"

"You mean to tell me you haven't seen all of the pointing and whispering today?" Nicky motioned across the room to some of the popular girls.

Sara shrugged, "I've been on cloud nine."

"So how? Where?" Melissa leaned in.

…

"This isn't just another hickey, John," Steve laughed.

"Though we know she's given you a nice share of those," Mike grinned.

"Did you sneak into her dorm? Was this to keep her quiet?" Steve eyed his best friend.

…

"In the middle of the night, he came through my window. The intention was just to cuddle, but then it happened," Sara shrugged.

"So you don't seem to be in any pain, or at least not that much," Nicky leaned in. "I can tell that boy ain't rocking a pencil."

Sara blushed, "no... definitely not. That actually brings me to my only complaint," she shrugged, "he kept stopping to ask if I was okay."

"You gotta admit, though," Melissa smiled, "that is pretty sweet."

…

John sighed, nodding, "yes and yes. I couldn't sleep last night. I couldn't stop thinking about her. So I did something about it."

"There's nothing wrong with that, man," Steve smiled. "You two love each other."

"We really do," John smiled in return. "I don't see myself being with anyone but her for the rest of my life."

"Well then," Mike nodded, "there you go."

…

Sara nodded, "it did feel good to know that he cares that much."

"So how was it otherwise? You don't have to give us details. I know that you're new to this," Nicky smirked.

Sara laughed, "so... girls talk, but we basically wanna know how big and if he knows how to use it?"

Melissa nodded, "more so with the slutty girls. That's why a lot of the same girls get with the same guys. We just wanna make sure he did our girl right."

Sara blushed, nodding. "He definitely did."

…

When the girls walked up to the lunch table, they took one look at the guys, shaking their heads. Sara laughed as she sat down next to John. "I guess that we weren't gonna keep that private."

John raised an eyebrow, showing Sara his hand. "What do you think?"

Sara winced, giggling. "Sorry baby."

Nicky laughed, "yeah, he did her right."

"It's all good, girl," John laughed, bringing an arm around Sara's shoulders. "You didn't break the skin, and it's not football season. I won't be needing this hand for other things."

Sara nodded, "as long as I didn't hurt you, baby. I love you."

"I love you too, baby girl. Forever," John grinned, kissing her softly.

…

John and Sara spent the summer together in West Newbury after he graduated. He was getting ready to head to Springfield College, where Sara was happy that her parents were allowing her to finish out high school at Cushing. She still had friends in Newton, but she had gotten much closer to Melissa and Nicky. It was their last night together, and they laid together in his bed after making love, the sheets barely covered their bodies as she laid her head on his chest. She loved listening as his heartbeat slowed down after sex.

"I swear, that gets better every time," he smiled, kissing the top of her head.

"It really does, Johnny," she ran her fingers along his abs. "And I have to admit, I do like that I don't have to be completely quiet."

He nodded, "my brothers all got headphones and my parents are far enough away."

"Which is good. I mean, I know that they know that we are sleeping together, but it's still feel a little awkward," she giggled.

"It is," he rubbed her back, "just as awkward knowing that they had to at least as many times as they have children."

She shuddered, accidently digging her nails into his torso. "I don't know about you, but the stork brought me."

He laughed, "ow, babe! So it's all stork until it's us?"

She quickly recoiled her hand, looking at the marks she had just left on him. "I didn't mean to! Sorry," she looked up, kissing him.

He returned the kiss with a grin, "how about you show me how sorry you are? I could go again."

She nodded, pulling the sheets back and got herself into position. She looked down at him with a grin, "here goes nothing..." She laughed.

…

The next day, Sara did her best to hold her tears back until they had to leave. She lasted until after breakfast. She began sobbing softly, burying her face into his chest. She knew that he was going off to college, and she had heard so many stories about what college was like. It was the last place a long distance relationship was going to work.

He hugged her tightly, rubbing her back, "I promise that we're going to keep in touch. We may not get to talk every night, but I'll try my hardest."

"But baby..." she slowly looked up, "what if you meet someone?"

He sighed, knowing exactly what she meant, "that's not possible, Sara."

"How can you know that for sure, Johnny?" she pouted.

"Because I love you, Sara Ann Molinaro. There isn't anyone else for me. I know it in my heart that you are it for me." He leaned down, kissing her sweetly, "those college girls can try anything they want. It didn't work for Becky, it won't work for some sorority girl."

"Do you promise, Johnny?" she kissed him again.

"Yes, I promise that I will never be with anyone else. You are everything to me," he smiled.

She nodded, "I promise, too. No matter what happens, you are the only one for me."

"Then it's settled," he took a deep breath. "I know that this is a deep commitment for a teenager, about to head off to college, but it feels right."

She smiled, "I love you, John Felix Anthony Cena."

…

For their senior year Sara, Melissa, and Nicky got a room all together. All of the girls were bummed after having to be separated from their boyfriends, so they came to their first night with all of the necessary comfort items. After a few hours of ice cream, junk food, and cheesy romantic comedies, they felt better.

Just as they were crawling into bed, getting ready to turn their lights out, Nicky let out a sigh. "Guys..."

The other two friends looked over to her questioningly. "What's going on, Nicks?" Melissa frowned.

"He cheated on me," Nicky frowned.

"We'll kill him!" Sara cracked her knuckles.

"When? Where?" Melissa reached across the two foot space between the beds, taking her friends hand.

"He wanted a threeway," she laughed softly. "When I turned him down, he fucked the other girl, anyway."

Sara shook her head, "that is so messed up."

"Tell me about it," Nicky sighed. "I guess that the bright side is that my feelings never grew that deep. It was nothing like Sara and John."

Sara smiled softly, "I hate being happy when my friend is in pain."

"I love you happy, Sara. You better stay that way for a damn long time." Nicky grinned.

Sara nodded, "we made a promise to each other that we wouldn't be with anyone else, no matter what."

Melissa smirked, "Sar, you're only seventeen."

Sara shrugged, "and it's well worth it."


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry this took a bit, everyone! First I got sidetracked, then I ran into some minor technical issues. Hopefully, it shouldn't continue to hinder my writing. So just know if I go a bit without updating, my computer is a piece of crap, and I'm still here.**

* * *

Four years went by without a hitch. John finished up college and was getting ready to start his life. The only thing holding him back was that Sara had another year to go at Boston College. His entire senior year, she told him that he could go wherever he wanted and do whatever he wanted. She would love him no matter what, and she would keep her promise to him. No amount of time and space could separate them. After his graduation, the group of friends from high school gathered together, reunited for what could be the last time.

"You're really going to take the long distance thing to another extreme, aren't you?" Mike shook his head in disbelief.

Sara shrugged, "John wants to go to California to pursue a career in body building. I'm not about to stop him."

"But you're staying with him. You're not going to take a step back and give each other a little freedom?" Mike opened another beer.

"I don't want to be with anyone else, Mikey," Sara sighed, taking a sip of her wine cooler. "If John wants to break up while we're apart, then that's his choice."

"We're going to have to call the Guinness people," Steve laughed as he walked up with Melissa. "John and Sara have got to be setting a world record for staying faithful and sticking to a long distance relationship."

Melissa, who was now best friends with Sara, nodded, "yeah, even I know that only reason Steve and I are still together is because we went to college together."

"Thanks for the votes of confidence, guys," Sara pouted playfully as John walked up, wrapping his arm around her waist.

John looked around at the group, "are they giving you a hard time?"

Sara pouted, nodding. "I think that we're the only ones who believe that we can do this."

"For the record, I did offer to stay behind until you finished college," John took a long drink of his beer.

"I couldn't do that to you, baby," Sara giggled, leaning into him. "I trust you. I'll be trying to get out there in a year. It's not a big deal."

John nodded, "looks like I'm headed to Cali tomorrow."

Sara nodded with a grin, "this is why we have webcams."

Melissa smiled, finally believing in her friends. "I can see how you can use that to your advantage between visits."

"Oh we'll be taking full advantage of it," John laughed, grinning widely.

…

Throughout the course of the school year, Sara began the process of getting a job in California to be with John. She interned via internet with the event planning company that she would be working with once she got her degree. She didn't tell John what her plans were, successfully changing the subject every time he would ask. The company she would be working for set everything up for her for when she made her move. Prior to arriving in Los Angeles, she was given the keys to a new car and a fully furnished condo. After finding out that John worked for the limo driving service that worked closely with the company, she personally requested that he be the one to pick her up from the airport. He was given instructions to pick up a new employee for the company, and that she would be a woman, but wasn't given a name. He did find this a little unusual, but he did his job regardless.

When Sara saw John as she walked up to the limo waiting area she smiled brightly, carrying two rather large suitcases with her. She had on a pair of sunglasses and a cute sundress that she hadn't shown John yet so she knew he may not immediately recognize her. She licked her lips as she approached him, looking him up and down. She disguised her voice as she addressed him, "now exactly what type of rides are you offering?"

John cleared his throat, diverting his eyes. "Sorry, I have a girlfriend."

Sara smirked, lowering her sunglasses to show her eyes. "I know you do, Johnny." She spoke in her normal voice.

John turned his head to get a good look at his girlfriend, his eyes widening. "Sara?"

She giggled as she nodded, holding her arms out to him. "Hi baby!"

He shook his head in disbelief hugging her tightly, picking her up. "I suddenly understand why they didn't give me a name. You're a naughty girl."

"Is that so?" she grinned as he placed her back on the ground. She leaned in, whispering, "maybe you should take me to my new home and punish me."

John groaned, biting his lip, "you're making it really hard to do my job in public."

Sara smirked, motioning to her suitcases. "Then let's get going."

He nodded, taking her suitcases and leading her to the limo he would be driving her in. He put her luggage into the trunk before opening the door for her. Once she got in he closed the door for her once more and walked around to the driver's side. He rolled the divider down and looked back at her. "Do you know your address, babe?"

Sara thought for a moment before pulling a small card with the information written down on it. She crawled up to the window and handed it to him. "I'll have a new car waiting for me there, too. I really can't wait."

John looked at the address and nodded, "this isn't too far from where I've been staying."

"Staying? So does that mean it's not a permanent situation?" she frowned.

He shrugged, pulling onto the freeway, "no, I'm sort of struggling at the moment. Body building isn't exactly paying off like I had hoped."

"Well you know what that means, baby," she grinned.

"I wouldn't want to impose, Sar."

She shook her head, reaching through the window and playfully smacking his shoulder. "We talked about living together while we were still in high school. Why would we give it up now that we have a legitimate chance?"

He nodded with a grin, "then I will. I can't believe you didn't tell me that you weren't coming out here."

"I know baby, I wanted it to be a surprise. When I was first contacted by the company, I didn't want to get our hopes up by saying anything. Then when I did get the job, I just thought that it would be fun to avoid telling you until I got here," she shrugged.

He shook his head with a laugh as he pulled off the exit to their neighborhood. "I have to admit, this was the best surprise ever." When they reached her building, he found a place to park and retrieved her luggage before opening the door for her.

When he went to hand her suitcases to her, she shook her head, pulling her keys out of her purse. "You're coming up."

"Sara, baby..." he bit his lip.

"Johnny it's been months," she pouted. "Your other clients can wait."

He nodded with a sigh, caving immediately and following her up to her suite. After they were inside, she closed the door, looking into his eyes with a raw intensity. He dropped her things, nodding as he picked her up, kissing her hungrily. After a few minutes of making out, he pulled away breathlessly. "I don't have a condom on..."

She cut him off, reaching into her purse and pulling one out. "That's another thing I've stuck to. I'm always carrying in case of surprise."

"I knew I could count on my girl," he grinned, kissing her again. They didn't make it past the door, nor did they actually remove any clothing before having rough, yet passionate sex. After both had reached their climaxes, they put themselves back together, panting softly. "I'm probably at least a half hour behind schedule," he laughed, shrugging.

She smiled, "but it was worth it, right?"

"Of course," he kissed her softly.

"So when are you off?"

"About eight, I think."

She nodded, "you wanna come by for dinner when you're done?"

He grinned, kissing her once more, "I'd love that. Enjoy getting to know our new place."

John let himself out as Sara began looking around her new condominium. The company that hired her had a lot of confidence in her. All of the furniture was to her liking, but they left any decorating to her. She carried her suitcases to the master bedroom and began unpacking. She didn't bother getting everything unpacked just yet, rather she got out a few days worth of clothes and brought all of her toiletries into the bathroom. She didn't know if John would be bringing any of his things with him when he came over later that night, but she still began mentally preparing to leave space for his things. After getting to a point where she felt comfortable with the amount of unpacking and putting things away, she checked the kitchen to see if they gave her all of the necessities for that room. Once she saw that she had everything she needed she grabbed her purse and made her way back downstairs to see her new car. It was a 2000 black Porsche 911, and a convertible. It was gorgeous, and she knew that John would love it. She made her way to a grocery store a few blocks away that John pointed out to her just before they got to her place. She got a bottle of wine and everything she would need to make chicken parmesan, along with anything else she may need in the next few days, including a box of condoms. It was six by the time she got home, so she had plenty of time to cook and set things up for John to get there. Part of her wanted to light candles and go for an all out romantic setting, but she quickly decided against it. There was no real way to no when he would be getting there, so she wouldn't want to let candles burn all of the way down because that would just be sad.

It was about 8:30 when there was a knock on Sara's door. Dinner was completely finished, and being kept warm, while she sat on her couch watching something mindless on TV. She smiled, getting up and walking over to the door and opening it. When she saw John on the other side, she licked her lips. "Well hey there, handsome. We'll have to make it quick, because I'm expecting my boyfriend any minute."

John chuckled as he stepped inside, a few steps further than he made it in earlier. "That just won't do. I fully intend on taking up all of your night."

"I guess I'll have to call him and cancel then," she grinned, bringing her arms around his neck.

"Good, because I want you all to myself," he dropped the bag that he brought in with him and brought a single arm around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss. "What smells so good?"

She smiled, kissing him again. "Chicken parmesan. I know you like that."

"You cooked? You didn't have to do that for me, baby."

"I wanted to," she shrugged, leading him into the kitchen. She got the food out and served him a plate, making one for herself before pouring them each a glass of wine. They caught up over dinner, going into detail how they had spent their most recent year apart, as if they hadn't kept in touch the entire time. Mostly, they just enjoyed each other's company for the rest of the night, curling up on the king sized bed after watching a movie together. She smiled as she laid her head on his chest, "so does this mean you're moving in?"

He nodded, "I'll admit that I'm not overly fond of the idea that you'll be supporting me, but I'll get you back for it someday."

"Nonsense!" she slapped him playfully. "We take care of each other, Johnny. No matter what. We will always be there for each other. Through everything."

"I'd have to say, I really like the sound of that," he grinned, kissing the top of her head.

She nodded, "so it's settled then. I'll have a key made for you tomorrow. You can take all of your stuff here whenever."

"So this is really it then?"

"What's that?"

"You and me. Forever?" he smiled, hugging her close to his body.

"Yeah," she kissed his chest. "And baby..."

"What's up, girl?"

She giggled, "don't feel pressured to think about marriage, or anything. That'll come when the time is right."

He nodded, "I love you, Sara."

"I love you too, Johnny," she smiled as she drifted off into a deep, comfortable sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Many apologies for this being late! I was experiencing technical difficulties that eventually lead to me needing a new computer because I literally couldn't open a decent program to type my stories on. However, everything is good now, and he is the next chapter of The Promise!**

* * *

It only took John a couple of weeks to fully move into Sara's condo and make it feel like a home for both of them. They enjoyed the fact that they had a place to themselves. Any other time, they lived in fear of a roommate, RA, or one of John's brothers barging in on them. He wasn't sure why he protested in the first place. Maybe it was because he was a bit of a traditionalist, and felt slightly awkward that his girlfriend was supporting him. He didn't let that get to him, though. He loved his girlfriend. He may have been a little jealous, but all that really mattered to him in the end was that they were together.

After settling in, John would make a point to hang out with his friends every Monday night. He never told Sara what he was doing, but she trusted him, so it never really phased her. One week, the friend who usually hosted their Monday night activities was out of town, so John was left to stay with his girlfriend. Not that he minded much, he just knew that he'd finally have to explain himself.

As Sara was making dinner, she looked over to John, who was sitting on a bar stool at their kitchen island. She tilted her head, drying off her hands and walked over to her boyfriend. She pouted sympathetically. "Do you miss the boys, babe?"

He nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist as she sat on his lap. "Not that I don't enjoy my extra time with you."

She nodded with a giggle, bringing her arms around his neck. "What do you do when you're with the boys, anyway? Beer, talk about girls, watch wrestling?"

John blinked, looking up at his girlfriend. "You know about wrestling?"

Sara nodded with a shrug. "If there weren't female wrestling fans, where would the female wrestlers come from?"

He laughed, nodding. "I guess that you have a point there. So how big of a fan are you? I can't believe we've never talked about this before."

She scrunched up her nose a bit, shrugging once more. "I don't know who won the Monday Night Wars... Well, if they're even still going."

He shook his head, "WCW is as good as dead. We're watching Monday Night RAW every week."

She nodded, "I didn't see WCW making it. All they really had going for them was the Nitro Girls. I heard all of their top names have jumped ship already."

"Definitely, and for the best, too. The WWF is starting to look really good," he smiled, rubbing her side.

"Well, I barely watch myself. Just enough to understand it and whatnot. We did have a lot of fun watching Stone Cold while we should have been studying in college, though. He's really made the company the past few years," she smiled.

"Have you ever thought of doing it yourself?" he grinned.

She quickly shook her head, "nah, but I could totally see you doing it."

"Really? Because I've gotta admit, I've thought about it. I used to do backyard wrestling with my brothers and our friends," he smiled at the memories.

"Well, aren't there some wrestling schools in the area? This _is_ Los Angeles. You should look into it, baby," she placed a soft kiss on his lips.

He returned the kiss with a smile, "as long as you're sure. It's not like you can just jump right into the scene in the WWF and make the big bucks."

She nodded, "I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't mean it, Johnny. I'm doing well enough for both of us right now. I know that you don't particularly like the idea, but just think of it this way," she paused with a smirk, "you can always find ways to pay me back. Creative ways," she wiggled her eyebrows as the got up to pull the pizza out of the oven. "We can eat in the living room and watch RAW together, if you want," she grinned as she picked up the pizza cutter and sliced the pizza. She took out two plates, placing two slices on each of them as John got up and went to the refrigerator to get a beer. "Can you get me one too, babe?" she smiled as she held one of the plates out to him.

He nodded, taking out a second beer, holding both in one hand as he took his plate with the other before handing her one of the cans. "You have to be the best girlfriend ever," he grinned as he leaned in and kissed her cheek.

She giggled as they walked out to the living room. She sat down on the couch, snuggling into him after setting her beer down on a coaster on the coffee table in front of them. "I know, right? I'm probably the next best thing to dating a lesbian."

He tilted his head as he picked up the remote, attempting to raise his eyebrow ala The Rock. "But lesbians don't date men, baby. Isn't that sort of the point?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "So long as you don't get the men hating, super feminist variety, gay girls tend to be more welcoming to the opposite gender than gay guys are."

"Good to know," he chuckled, turning on the television and changing to the channel where Monday Night RAW was about to come on. "Any chance you're into girls?" he asked playfully as he got comfortable.

"Maybe... if you're a good boy," she smirked as she show began.

…

A few weeks later John began training at "Ultimate University" and began picking up everything very quickly. It was only a matter of months before he was competing with Ultimate Pro Wrestling. It was the start of a new year, decade, and century for that matter, and it was starting off on a good note for John. By April he had won his first title, and held it for nearly a month. He did make a little money for portraying the character, known as The Prototype, but it still didn't pay the bills, nor did it exactly let him spoil Sara like he wished to. It didn't bother her, but he still wanted more. He was enjoying himself, and the thought of making a living off of something he loved to do was an incredible feeling. He didn't have to travel to compete in the independent promotion, but Sara was starting to travel for her job because she was in high demand.

In November of 2000, John had been approached by Jim Ross for a possibility of being signed with the WWF. JR could see a lot of potential in John, but Vince McMahon and the rest of the board of directors were a little leery about the idea. He and Sara were getting ready to head back to Massachusetts for the holidays. He had an extra few days off from UPW because JR got him a tryout with WWF's developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling in Louisville, Kentucky. Sara was lucky enough to get the time off, as well. She had been supportive of him the entire year, and she planned on sticking by his side until the end. He hadn't told her about meeting with JR yet by the time that they were packing to go home. He was waiting for the right time to spring it on her.

He sat on their bed as he watched her go through the closet to find all of the best possible attire combinations. He was already finished packing, of course. Enough to have clean socks and underwear every day was more than satisfactory for John. He just smiled, shaking his head at his girlfriend as she kept holding up various combinations of tops and bottoms.

Nearly fifteen minutes went by before Sara turned to John, narrowing her eyes. "Are you just going to keep staring at me?"

He shrugged with a smirk, "it's kinda hot watching you frantically go through literally everything in your wardrobe for just three weeks. Two of them being with our families. You really don't need to go all out here."

She sighed, laughing softly, "you should have seen me when I packed for Cushing."

"You didn't just take everything with you?" he tilted his head, raising an eyebrow.

She shook her head, "no, I would have never been able to fit my whole high school wardrobe in one of those dorms. Not even when I was left in one alone."

"I just don't get it," John laughed, "how do you even wear all of that?" He motioned to the back of her closet, "I don't even think I've seen you wear at least half of these things."

"I will eventually!" she spat out defensively, pulling out one of the dresses that happened to still be in it's bag. "Like this one. This one is four our first New Year's in New York. Which I can't believe we haven't done yet."

"Do I at least get to see the dress first?" he pouted.

She smirked, shaking her head. "It's a surprise."

He sighed, "fine." He then paused, taking a deep breath, "babe..."

She set down what she was looking at, noticing the seriousness in his voice. "What is it, Johnny?" She walked over to him, biting her lip.

"No, no. It's nothing bad," he smiled, taking her hands. "I met Jim Ross about a month ago."

"Wait... 'JR' Jim Ross?" her eyes widened as she sat down on his lap.

He nodded with a grin, "he is trying to convince Vince McMahon to sign me."

Sara blinked a few times before hugging him tightly, "oh my god, baby! That's amazing!"

He smiled, returning the hug. "He seems to be the only one who wants me, though. The board of directors seem to be a little hesitant."

"Well, they just need to see you in action, baby. I'm sure that once they see what you can do in the ring, and especially on the mic, they'll be foaming at the mouth to take you," she grinned.

"Well, that's the vote of confidence that I was hoping to get the most," he kissed her softly. "You know that I love you, right?"

"For only about six years now," she chuckled, she stroked his cheek gently. "And don't worry, baby. All you have to do is show them what you've got and they'll have to take you."

He nodded, taking a deep breath, "let's hope. If not, I'll just continue working as hard as I can. This is what I want. I'm not going to stop if I'm turned down the first time."

She smiled, "I love you, Johnny." She kissed him, letting it linger for a moment, "but I should really get finished packing. We have a flight in the morning."

He nodded, kissing her once more before releasing his hold on her and letting her finish.

…

Thankfully, JR was very persistent and after having a tryout in the beginning of January, John was signed to a developmental contract with the WWF over the next few months. This unfortunately meant that he had to move to Louisville, where Sara had to mostly stay in Los Angeles for her job. It wasn't like it was their first time apart, but after spending nearly two years living together, it hit them a little harder than all of their other separations. Their last week together was spent in silence. They cuddled whenever they could, just enjoying every moment.

During their last night together, John knew he would have to say something. He just wasn't sure how to bring it up. He puled Sara into his lap on the couch with a sigh. "I think that it's about time we talk about this."

She sighed, laying her head on his shoulder. "What if I don't wanna?"

He kissed the top of her head, "you know that if you don't want me to go, I won't."

"That's why I'm not saying anything," she shrugged.

"Do you want me to stay, Sara?" he pulled up her face gently by her chin to look into her eyes.

She shook her head, biting her lip. "I want you to go, Johnny. I want this for you. Sure, I'm going to miss you like crazy. It's going to suck, but we can do this. It's not like we haven't been apart before. I just think that we've been spoiled with our time together since I moved out here."

"You'll come to visit, right? It's going to get lonely half way across the country without my baby," he pouted playfully.

"Well, you could always give it to me really good to me really good right now, that should hold you off for a while," she teased, licking her lips.

"You know that is not what I was talking about Miss Molinaro," he laughed, rubbing her hips. "But now that you mention it..."

She shook her head with a laugh, "well, you know it's not like I'm going to turn you down. I happen to like the sex too, Johnny."

"So... sex then more cuddle time before I have to leave in the morning?" he grinned, pulling up her shirt.

She nodded, removing her shirt and went for his. "Cuddling is always good."

"Here?" he chuckled. "We do have friends who come over on occasion."

She shrugged, "they don't have to know."

"What about a condom? They're all in the bedroom," he asked as he laid her down and undid her jeans.

"I'm on the pill, baby. We can go one time without," she smiled, running her hand along his very toned chest and abs.

He nodded, removing the rest of their clothing and made love to her. It was going to be months before they saw each other again, so he was going to make it worth it. Over the coming months, he would be putting everything he had into the ring to prove himself as a potential WWF star. However, that night, he was giving everything to the girl whom he loved deeply. She was a saint for staying with him as long as she had, so he was going to do everything to show her that he was eternally grateful for everything she had done for him over the years.


	9. Chapter 9

It took John less than a year to move up from the developmental roster of the WWE. Instead of using some quirky character gimmick, like had had been up until that point, he went out into the ring as himself. He even went as far as to begin rapping in the ring. Even as a heel, the crowd loved him. Week after week, he insulted other superstars in a freestyle rap, and he even dressed the part. It was new and fresh for the world of wrestling, and it worked for him. After becoming a part of the main roster, John was hardly ever at home. He spent one day filming, then the rest of the week was filled with house shows and other various appearances. He tried to make it back to Sara as often as he could, but the more popular he became, the more difficult it became.

After only being with the company for six months, John began to pursue the WWE Championship. It took two years, and a reign as United States champion before he finally got his chance. One year after winning the US title at WrestleMania XX, John challenged JBL for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21 in 2005. Seeing as how it was at the Staples Center, Sara was able to be there to see him win his first world title. He asked her to wait for him in catering while he showered. Seeing as how he didn't have his own locker room, she reluctantly agreed. Finding a couple of the Divas that didn't appear to snobby to talk to Sara sat down, taking a deep breath.

"You're Cena's girl, right?" A blonde who had been in a match earlier smiled at Sara.

Sara nodded, holding out her hand. "Sara Molinaro. He's in the shower right now, I hope you don't mind." She motioned to the other girls in the room, "they look like they may bite my head off."

The other girl smiled, shaking Sara's hand. "Trish. And yeah," she chuckled, "they just might."

"John has told me that a number of the girls here are actually kinda bitchy. I mean, I know you can be tough without being a bitch. Maybe it wouldn't hurt some of them to try," Sara kept her voice low.

Trish laughed, nodding. "That's just women for ya. It's just worse in this industry. So many people believe that they have to go out of their way to prove themselves in any way possible."

Sara smiled with a nod, "I had to deal with a bitch who wanted John back in high school. I ended up kicking her ass at the homecoming dance and she got expelled since it wasn't the first time she had gotten into a fight over a boy."

"Oh wow, you two have been together since high school?" a brunette turned toward Sara and Trish. "I'm Candice, by the way."

Sara nodded, "I was a junior, and he was a senior. I had only been at the school for a few weeks before we started dating."

"Hey, nothing wrong with that," Trish smiled. "Sometimes, you just know."

"And we do," Sara smiled. "We had only been together a few months before realizing we weren't going to want to be with anyone else for the rest of our lives."

"Um, not to cause trouble or anything, but John is a little on the flirty side," Candice bit her lip.

"Does it stay on camera?" Sara asked the girls across the table from her point blank.

"Despite the desperate attempts from some of the girls, yes," Trish nodded.

"Still, he is probably one of the nicest guys on the roster. Some of us look at him like a big brother," Candice added. "And now that I've met you, I personally would like to offer to help him fend the other girls off."

Sara bit her lip, "I know it can't be easy for him with how much we have to be apart."

"Plus, it really doesn't help that basically everyone of us Divas are hot in our own way. Not to mention, at least half are sluts," Trish sighed with a shrug.

"I'm sure it's the whole 'sleep your way to the top' scenario. It even happens in my line of work," Sara nodded.

"Oh yeah? What do you do?" Candice smiled.

"I'm an event planner," Sara's face lit up as she saw John walk over to them. "There's my man."

"I see you made some friends," John grinned, sitting down next to Sara and kissing her.

Sara nodded, "these two are probably the nicest girls here."

"I'd have to agree with that," John nodded as he took a small, black ring box out of his pocket. Sara didn't see it, but the other girls did, their eyes going wide. "Sara, baby... I have been waiting for the right time to do this."

Sara tilted her head, still not seeing the box as Trish and Candice began quietly getting the attention of some of the other performers in the room. "Do what, Johnny?"

John took a deep breath, knowing that he now had an audience, but there was now no turning back. He opened the box, revealing the diamond ring inside to his girlfriend. "Sara Ann Molinaro, these past eleven years with you have been nothing short of amazing. I should have done this a lot sooner, but I guess now is as good of a time as any," he moved from his chair, getting down on one knee. "Will you make me the happiest man alive and be my wife?"

Sara gasped, covering her mouth as tears filled her eyes. She always knew that she wanted to spend her life with John, but both were so busy with their careers that they never really talked about marriage. She had fantasized about it many times, but she honestly had no idea that he had even thought about it. She nodded as a couple of tears spilled down her cheeks, "of course I'll marry you, Johnny."

Everyone in the room applauded as John slipped the ring on her finger and stood back up, picking her up and kissed her passionately. When they broke away they laughed, hugging each other tightly. They had been together for over a decade, and they were finally engaged. They had finally promised to spend their lives together, but this felt like a bigger promise than they're previous one. They both knew in their hearts that they would be keeping both promises.

…

Months went by and Sara became in much higher demand at her job. She knew that John could easily get the time off to get married and have a honeymoon, but it just wasn't happening for Sara. Months turned into years, two years to be exact. John had become champion a couple of more times, and was riding off the success of his first movie. He had the world at his feet and now neither had time to think about a wedding.

It was SummerSlam, which was in Rutherford, New Jersey that year. John had invited Sara, since it was close to Massachusetts, so they could visit their families, but she declined. She sat at home, watching the PPV event in which her fiance retained the WWE Championship against Randy Orton. She sighed, running her hand along her stomach as John's music began to play on the television. She had just found out two days earlier that she was eight weeks pregnant. She wanted to keep the baby, but at the same time, she didn't want to burden John at this point in his career. John would be coming home that Wednesday, so she had that long to decide what she was going to do.

By the time Wednesday came, Sara had made her choice. Her things were packed, but hidden in the closet. She had a flight to New York booked and she had made all of the arrangements to transfer to a sister company there to continue her career. She made him dinner, which was waiting for him when he came home. They ate together, Sara acting like nothing had changed. After cleaning up, they watched a movie together before going to bed. Sara stared at the ceiling for hours before getting a little sleep. When she woke up, John was fast asleep. She checked her phone to see that she needed to get up, anyway. She showered and brought everything that she was taking with her to the front door. Most of her things already being shipped to her new home. She quietly walked back to the bedroom to see John still out cold. She sighed with a frown, walking over to him and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. She pulled out her phone, sending a quick text to Trish, telling her that if John asked that she was OK, and that she loved him. Without waiting for a response, she set her phone on the dresser and made her way out of the home she had shared with John for the past six years with no intentions of looking back.

Hours later, John was jerked out of sleep by the sound of his phone ringing for the tenth time. He stirred a bit, seeing Trish's name on the Caller ID. He wondered why she would be calling him and assumed that Sara had possibly forgotten to charge her phone. He picked up his phone and accepted the call. "This must be some hot gossip to be calling this early." He rolled over, noticing that Sara wasn't in bed with him.

"_John, where is she?_" the voice on the other end sounded extremely worried.

The concern in the voice of his friend caused John to shoot up in bed, frantically looking around. "Sara? Babe? Are you here? He got up when he hadn't received a response and began looking around the condo. Sara was no where to be found. "She's not home, Trish. I don't know where she could be."

"_She sent me a text hours ago telling me that if you asked to just let you know that she was OK and that she loves you,_" the pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together for the former Diva.

John swallowed hard, going over to the closet and quickly sliding the door open to see that all of her things were gone. He dropped to his knees, tears filling his eyes. "Her things are gone," he choked out after seeing that all of her things were no longer where they belonged.

"_Oh God, John, I am so sorry._" She knew that by then that Sara had left John, but she didn't have the slightest clue why. "_Do you want me to come out?_"

"Please," John choked out through tears. "I'm calling my cousin and one of my brothers too."

"_That's a good idea,_" Trish sighed heavily. "_I'll get the soonest flight that I can._"

Six hours later Trish, John's brother Dan, and their cousin Marc Predka, known as Tha Trademarc, arrived at the condo. John had left the door unlocked for them as he sat down in the middle of the couch, his head buried in his hands. He had looked through the entire condo multiple times to confirm that she had really taken everything. When the trio walked in together, Trish immediately came to John's side, wrapping her arms around him.

After crying a little more, John finally took a deep breath looking from his female friend to his cousin and younger brother. "I don't understand. She left her phone, but she took her ring."

Trish blinked, tilting her head. "She took her engagement ring?" Things were becoming stranger by the moment. She knew about the promise that John and Sara had made to one another, and it wasn't like they had been fighting at all. Sara would have told Trish if they had been. Sara hadn't expressed anything of that nature to Trish in the little over two years they had been friends. So the fact that Sara had just up and left John after how long they were together, and how in love they obviously both were was the greatest mystery she had ever come across.

John nodded, "and it's not like she needs the money. She's been financially stable since she moved out here."

"Maybe something came up that she didn't have time to tell you about and she has a surprise for you?" Trish offered with a sigh.

"We can hope," John bit his lip, sitting back.

…

Marc and Dan stayed with John for the next couple of weeks, Trish leaving after a couple of days. There was no sign of Sara. It was hard for John, but he knew deep inside that she had left him, and it was time for him to go on with his life. He had them, along with a couple of his friends from work help him pack up his things and move to Tampa. If Sara wasn't going to come back, he didn't want to stay there any longer. It wasn't like as if he would be hiding. John was a huge name, and not only in wrestling. If Sara were to decided that she wanted to be in John's life once more, she would know how to find him. Until then, John had to continue his life and go on being as happy as he could without the love of his life. He was still doing what he loved, but not having Sara in the background supporting him was going to change things. He was just glad that he had a good support system on the road with him. If not, he may have given up and gone back to West Newbury to live in his parents basement for the rest of his life.


	10. Chapter 10

Once you run away, you can't go back...right?

It didn't take Sara very long at all to regret her decision to leave John. Every doctor appointment, she would gaze at her side where the chair sat next to the exam table. The gynecologist would ask her where the father was and every time Sara stated that he was very busy, and would not be able to join her. It felt better than the truth. Deep in her heart, Sara knew that if John knew that she was carrying his child, he would be right at her side every minute. Which was a large part of the reason that she had made her choice. He was at the height of his career. Everything was going for him. A baby would just take him away from all of that. She could never do that to him. She loved him too much to hold him back. So instead, she left. She packed up all of her things and moved across the country. She was smart about it. She took everything except her phone with her. She changed her email address and all but assumed a whole new identity.

The one thing that she couldn't do was let go.

Sara still wore her engagement ring. She fully intended on keeping her promise to John. She still loved him. She loved him with everything she had. She never even wanted to look at another man as long as she lived. Her heart belonged to John. Always had and always will. No decision to leave in order for him to keep chasing his dream would change that. She just hated doing it alone. Every few months she considered going back to John. It's not like he was hard to find. She knew the WWE's schedule. She watched every Monday Night RAW, and ordered every PPV that John would be in. She had plenty of opportunities. She just didn't take any of them.

In the summer of 2008 Caden Anthony Cena was born. Just because she was no longer with John, that didn't mean she couldn't name his son after him. Sara knew that one day she would get over her fears and go back to John. She just wasn't sure when that would be. She just hoped that he would take her back when she did.

When Caden was old enough, Sara began taking him to WWE events with her. She just knew that she needed to avoid being seen by anyone she had met while she was still with John. She was successful for the most part, only having a run in here or there with someone who wasn't particularly close to John, and agreed to not mention that they had seen her. That is until the fall of 2010.

The trio known as the Legacy has split up in storyline, but they were still friends outside the ring. Cody Rhodes walked up to Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase with a blank look on his face. Sara had been walking out of the arena with Caden. She looked a little different, so Cody wasn't sure that it was her, but knew that it was a distinct possibility.

"Hey bro, are you okay?" Ted waved his hand in front of his best friend's face. "You look like you just seen a ghost."

Cody blinked a few times before looking at his friends, "I think that I just saw Sara."

"John's Sara?" Randy's jaw dropped in disbelief.

Cody nodded, "yeah and if it was her..." he paused, shaking his head, "she had a little boy with her."

"Are you serious?" Ted blinked. He hadn't been with the company yet when Sara came to a few shows, so he had never met her, but he still knew the story.

"How old was the kid?" Randy looked a little worried, going over the new possibilities as to why Sara had left John.

"Old enough to where she wouldn't have been showing yet when she left him," Cody rubbed his hand over his face. "Should we say anything to him?"

The eldest member of the group shook his head, "no. The last thing we want to do is get his hopes up. We'll keep our eyes out for her, and wait to say anything to him until we know something for sure."

The other two men nodded. Not because of the blind faith they once had in him in the ring, but because of the fact that he had a point.

…

The older Caden got, the more his love for wrestling grew. He had picked his favorites, John being at the top of the list. Sara even purchased a clean version of John's album for her son to listen to. Every time the little boy heard John's music, he jumped to his feet, rapping along. By the time that Caden was about to turn four, Sara realized that he was starting to look exactly like John did when he was younger. The boy had began asking about his daddy around Christmas time just six months earlier. He wanted to know why he never saw his father. The questions that followed were typical, and each time it broke Sara's heart. She didn't know what to tell her son. He had been diagnosed with high functioning autism just after he turned three, and where he understood many things, this was very difficult for Sara.

For Caden's fourth birthday, Sara packed up her son and flew to St. Louis, Missouri for RAW 1000. The young boy enjoyed every part of the show, even if he didn't completely understand some of it. They had floor seats, but they were far back enough to not be seen by any of the performers, save for "Falls Count Anywhere" matches. Thankfully, there wouldn't be any of those that night. During the main event, Caden began yawning. As much as he enjoying watching John, it was getting late, and he wouldn't last much longer. When Sara heard Big Show's music, she groaned. She knew that this wasn't going to be pretty, and didn't want to subject her son to what was about to happen. She picked Caden up and began her way up the stairs. As she made her way toward the exit of the arena she was stopped by two people calling her name. On one side of her she saw Trish running up to her, and she turned to see Cody on the other. She sighed, stopping in her tracks. She hung her head as they approached her, shocked looks on their faces.

"So that was you I saw in New York a couple of years ago," Cody sighed.

Sara nodded, biting her lip. "Sorry."

Trish tried to be angry, but when she saw the young boy in Sara's arms, along with the fact that she was still wearing her engagement ring, she softened. "You know that we aren't the ones you need to be apologizing to."

Sara took a deep breath, looking to the young boy in her arms. "Caden, would you like to hang out with Cody Rhodes while mommy talks to her friend?" She turned to Cody, "you don't mind, do you?"

"Nah, I'm an uncle. I love kids," he smiled as he took boy from his mother's arms. "I have something you might like." He walked away to give the women some time to talk.

Sara sighed as she turned back to Trish, her eyes filling with tears. "I do owe you an apology."

Trish wrapped her arms around the other girl tightly, "I'm just glad you're alright. I've missed you so much."

"At least you know why I left," the tears in Sara's eyes spilled down her cheeks as she returned the embrace.

Trish nodded, rubbing the other girl's back as she began to cry as well. "I understand you were scared, baby girl."

"I still am," Sara whispered.

"That's understandable," Trish sighed. "You've been away a long time."

"Once I ran, I felt like I couldn't go back. At the same time, it hurts to much to be away from him. I love John so much. And now there's..."

"You said his name was Caden, right?" Trish smiled as the other woman nodded. "He looks like his father, Sara."

"I've spent the past six months attempting to allude questions about his daddy. I don't know how much more I can take, Trish. I don't know if I can face John."

Trish sighed, reaching up to wipe one of Sara's tears away. "You have to tell him. He still loves you. He's been going crazy without you. You know that he went and injured himself a little after you left, right?"

Sara blinked, "I... I didn't start watching again until I was about six months along."

Trish nodded, "he tore his pectoral muscle. He had stay out for a while after having surgery."

"Now I'm just going to blame myself for that," Sara sighed.

Trish frowned as she found a place for them to sit down, "why don't you tell me about Caden and what else you've been doing with yourself these past five years?"

Sara nodded as she sat down, "well, his name is Caden Anthony Cena and coming out for this was his birthday present. He's turning four in a couple of weeks. He hasn't put two and two together yet as to why he happens to share a last name with his favorite wrestler. We live in Queens, and I'm technically working for the same company that I had been. You obviously know that he looks like his father, and he's just so bright. He's actually autistic, but you'd never guess it."

After taking all of the information in, a smile slowly came across Trish's face. "I think I thought of something that could help you out. John is really big on doing Make a Wish. Maybe you can arrange for them to meet that way and then ease into it."

"Huh..." Sara mused as she wiped a stray tear from her eye. "I never thought of that."

"Yeah, I know that it's mostly for terminal kids, but I know that they take wishes from autistic kids. I've met a few myself," Trish nodded with a smile.

Just then Cody walked up to them with a sleeping Caden in his arms, the boy holding a Cody Brawlin' Buddy. "You know who was just coming to the locker room to shower. I figured it would be best to avoid that," he whispered.

Sara stood up, nodding. "Thanks Cody." She held out her arms to take her son.

Cody shook his head, "I'll take him to your car for you. It's not a big deal."

Sara smiled, hugging Trish once more before heading out to the parking lot with Cody. "Trish came up with an awesome idea for him and John to meet."

"Oh yeah?" Cody smiled as Sara unlocked her rental car.

"He's autistic, so I'm going to 'make a wish' for him," Sara smirked.

"I think that I sort of picked up on that. I just didn't want to say anything," Cody nodded as he put Caden into his booster seat and carefully closed the door. "I'm just happy that you've decided to come back into our lives. We're a little sick of John being so miserable all of the time."

Sara nodded, laughing softly. "Hey, if all goes well John and I will get back together, and we'll be a family by the end of the year."

"John really is a lucky guy to have such a beautiful girl like you to love him," Cody smiled as he hugged Sara, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

Sara blushed as she returned the hug. "I'm sure you'll find someone eventually, Cody. You're a great guy when you want to be."

Cody laughed, shaking his head. "Have a good night, Sara. Hopefully, I see you soon."

…

After the show was over, Eve Torres was waiting for John outside of the locker room. She had been pursuing him for months, and he had shot her down many times. When he saw her, he rolled his eyes, readjusting his bag on his shoulder.

"John, wait!" she called after him, grabbing his shoulder.

He spun around, an angry glare in his eyes. "What do you want, Eve?"

"I just wanted to know if you were up for going out for a drink," she twirled her hair around her finger with an innocent look in her eyes.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm just not interested?" he sighed.

"She's not coming back, John. It's been five years. I know that men have needs," she walked her fingers up his arm with a lustful look in her eyes.

John shook his head, pulling away from her. "Even if I do, I'm not about to look to you to fulfill them."

Eve shrugged, "your loss. We could have something good, but I know when it's time to move on."

John nodded, "yeah, about five months ago when I turned you down the first time." He spun on his heel, continuing down the hall to the parking garage to get to his rental car and head to the hotel for the night. His heart ached without having Sara in his life. No matter how long it had been since she left him, he couldn't bring himself to look at another girl. Something inside of him told him that Sara was still out there, and that she was still his. He just had no idea as to why she left. He just had a feeling that they wouldn't be apart forever. However, if they were, John knew that he would be spending the rest of his life alone. He just didn't care anymore. There was only one thing that could bring him back and that was the love of his life.


	11. Chapter 11

Two weeks later John walked into catering, sitting down next to Randy with a bottle of water. Randy patted his best friend's shoulder as Sheamus and Cody gave him sympathetic looks.

John sighed, looking to the men sitting with him. "I just don't know much more I can take. I may actually take Eve's offer if she comes at me again."

"I wouldn't be so quick to give up," Cody stated quickly before looking down at the table.

John raised an eyebrow, "do you know something that I don't?"

When Cody didn't respond, Randy kicked the younger man's shin under the table. "Speak, Runnels."

"Damn Randy, fine," Cody sighed, slowly looking up. "I just don't think you should be giving up on Sara so quickly."

"And why is that? Five years is a long time. What reason do I have to believe that she'll ever be back?" John's stare nearly bore a hole into Cody.

"Because she isn't gone for good," Cody paused, closing his eyes. "I've seen her. I've even talked to her."

John's jaw dropped, "when? Where? Start explaining, kid."

"She was at RAW 1000, John. I can't really go into detail, but I can tell you that she has her reasons for leaving," Cody took a deep breath, biting his lip. "She still loves you and misses you like crazy. I know this because she's still wearing her ring."

"So she's out there," John paused, blinking. "I'm still engaged. She still wants to be with me, but she still left me without as much as a single word." He shrugged with a sigh, "I'll take it."

"I'm sorry, John. The only other thing I can really tell you is that you _will_ be seeing her again. Hopefully soon, but I can't guarantee anything," Cody sat back, playing with the hem of his shirt.

"You didn't get her new number or anything?" John sighed in frustration.

Cody shook his head, "I'm sure she knew damn well that you would find a way to make me give it to you if she had."

John let a small smile play across his lips, "my girl knows me. It just feels good knowing that she's still my girl." He got up and walked away from his friends to be alone with his thoughts.

Once John was far enough away, Randy leaned over and whispered to Cody. "So _was_ it Sara that you saw a couple of years ago?"

Cody nodded, biting his lip.

"So John has a kid?" Randy sighed.

"Yeah, and he's a great kid, too. I spent some time with him while Sara talked to Trish," Cody sighed, looking down once more.

"So the lass left because she was pregnant, and she didn't want it to interfere with John's career?" Sheamus guessed.

"At least that's our guess," Cody nodded once more with another sigh.

"It makes sense," the Irishman shrugged. "I just don't know how much John is going to like it."

…

It was almost eighteen years to the day since she met John. It had taken her two months to finalize everything for Caden's wish, but Sara was making it happen. She stood in the shadows after making sure that Caden was ready to meet his favorite superstar, who just happened to be his father. Normally there would be cameras documenting the meeting, but Sara arranged for there to be no media at this event.

When John heard that the media wasn't going to be there, he didn't think anything of it. There had been plenty of wishes granted without documentation. He walked up to the boy, who was playing his Nintendo DS. He smiled, not seeing the resemblance right away. "So I hear that you're a fan of this John Cena guy."

Caden looked up with a huge grin, "John Cena!" He jumped up, waving his hand in front of his face. "You can't see me!"

John threw his head back with a chuckle. "It's Caden, right? They never told me your last name."

"My name is Caden Anthony Cena," the boy nodded emphatically as he grinned wider, his dimples showing.

When John saw the dimples, his heart dropped into his stomach. His eyes widened as the realization hit him. Not only did this boy happen to have the same last name as him, as well as one of his middle names, but he looked exactly like John did at his age. "Say buddy, are your parents here?"

Caden nodded as he pointed into the direction where Sara was standing, "mommy is over there. She says that I get to meet daddy soon, but she won't tell me when."

John turned to look over in the direction that the boy was looking as Sara stepped into view. "S-Sara," his jaw dropped upon seeing the love of his life.

"Hey Johnny," she said softly as she walked over to him.

"Wait... you know John Cena, mommy?" Caden looked over to his mother.

Sara sighed, "yeah baby... I do." She bit her lip, looking over to John. "John, I... We..." she closed her eyes, suddenly at a loss for words.

John looked down for a moment before turning back to Caden, "hey buddy, will you be alright for a few minutes while I talk to your mommy?"

Caden nodded, giving him a thumbs up as he went back to his game.

John placed his hand on the small of Sara's back and lead her to the other side of the room. He took a deep breath, "so this is it? He _is_ mine, right?"

Sara nodded, reaching down to play with her ring. "John..." She didn't quite understand what was wrong with her. Normally, she was so upfront, but this situation really brought her to a loss for words.

He took her left hand, bringing it up to view to confirm that she really was wearing the ring he had gotten her five and a half years earlier. He took a deep breath and smiled. "Sara, I don't know how to take this." He kissed her fingers, "I still love you. I always have. I just..." he took a deep breath. "This really hurts, Sara."

"I know Johnny. I'm sorry," she bit her lip. She had tried to be strong, but she knew it was pointless. He had just told her that she hurt him by leaving. Even knowing that she left to have a baby, he was hurt. Tears filled her eyes as she sighed, "I should have just told you that I was pregnant, baby. I should have talked to you about it. Everything would have been so much better if we had discussed it."

He wrapped his arms around her, fighting back his own tears. "It's not like I wouldn't have been there for you, Sara. I know that we hadn't discussed if we wanted kids yet, but I wasn't about to walk away from you."

"But you're career was just taking off," Sara chewed on her bottom lip. She brought her hands up to his shoulders. "You had the movie and you had just become top guy in the company." She looked down for a moment before looking up into his eyes, "I didn't want to hold you back."

"I..." John paused, thinking about what she just said. "I probably would have held back on my work and could have easily slipped through the cracks." He took a deep breath, "but you're right. We never talked about if we wanted children. For all you knew, I would have told you that I didn't want a baby." He leaned in, pressing his lips to hers for a soft kiss. "But just for the record, this _is_ what I wanted. I'm sorry that we never talked about it. I guess that we were both just too busy."

"So, you want to be in his life? You want..." she bit her lip, looking away. "One thing at a time, I guess."

"I've kept my promise, Sara. I haven't been with anyone else. Even with how long you were away and I didn't know if you ever coming back to me I didn't stray. I didn't care. I still don't want anybody else. I only want you, Sara," he pulled her closer, hugging her tightly. "I want to be Caden's father as well as your... well," he looked at her ring with a smile, "I want to be your husband, Sara."

"You forgive me?" she bit her lip, a few tears trailing down her cheeks. "I mean, I love you John, but I know that this has to kill you."

He took a deep breath, "it still hurts, but I understand. I just love you so much that I know that I will fully forgive you with time."

"I love you, Johnny," she sighed. "I am so happy that I finally decided to come back to you. I was miserable without you."

He nodded, kissing her to seal the new commitment. He pulled away, looking over to Caden. "So, should we tell him?"

Sara nodded, wiping at her tears before walking back over to her son and knelt down. "Caden, can you turn off your game again? Mommy has something to tell you."

"Did John leave?" he frowned without looking up as he turned off the game, setting it down.

"Of course not, buddy," John brought an arm around Sara's shoulders. "I'm not going anywhere, ever."

Caden looked up, blinking. "Ever?"

Sara smiled, nodding, "Caden, honey... have you ever thought about your last name?"

"Yeah, you said that even though your name is Molinaro, you wanted to give me my daddy's name, and..." the child's eyes went wide as he looked up at his parents. "Mommy, is John my..."

"Yes, he is. John Cena is your daddy, Caden. I should have told you a long time ago. Well, actually... I never should have left him. We should have always been together. I've already robbed you both of so much. Can you ev-" she was cut off as her son jumped up, hugging her and John.

"Daddy! I'm so happy to finally have you!" the child smiled brightly up at his father.

John smiled, picking the boy up, "and I'm happy to have you and your mommy. I guess that now we need to talk about when we're going to get married and where are we going to live."

Sara shrugged, "I could always go back to LA."

"Sar, I..." John sighed, slumping down as he rubbed Caden's back, "I left our condo two months after you left. I've been living in Tampa ever since."

"I'm good with either, honestly," Sara smile. "Just so long as I have my boys."

"We have time. Now you can have whatever wedding you want, any where you want to have it. Money is no object," John smiled, kissing the side of Caden's head then doing the same to Sara.

Sara nodded, "we'll think of something."

…

In mid-January John and Sara married in Tampa. Everything was perfect. There was nothing extravagant. Despite the fact that John was willing to go all out, Sara was done waiting. They had a small ceremony with their close friends and immediate family. Sara relocated to Tampa and moved into John's new house with Caden just weeks after they had reunited. They had kept their promise to one another while they were apart, and they continued to do so after getting back together. Just as they had started out, they were always perfect. From that point on, nothing could stand in their way. The fact that Sara had left John for so long did keep tension for a few weeks, and managed to come up every now and again, but in the end everything was forgiven. What had mattered most to John was that she had gone back to him. She made up for the five years in a matter of months in every way possible. By the time John went to ask for a break after WrestleMania for an official honey moon, Sara found out that she was pregnant again. They couldn't be happier with the news. This time they were going to do everything right and nothing could stop them. The only thing left in their sights was happily ever after, and they were going to have it.

THE END.

* * *

**So that's it for "The Promise". It was a fun journey, but this is the end. I'd like to thank WWE'sFinestDiva2012 for giving me this amazing idea. I'd also like to thank everyone who read, followed, favorited, and reviewed. It meant so much to me. I'd like to to as you to take a look at my other stories, "My Happy Ending", "True Love Waits", and "The Orton Way". Thanks again! :)**


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